Feed the Future

Peace Corps Volunteers around the world support food security by ensuring sustainable, environmentally adaptive agriculture and natural resources management, productive and resilient livelihoods, and improved health and nutrition, particularly for mothers and children.

Overview

The Global Food Security Act (S.1252) was signed into law in July 2016, and Congress passed it with broad bipartisan support.

The law reinforces the U.S. government’s commitment and successful approach to increasing food security and nutrition through the Feed the Future initiative.

Peace Corps is one of the many U.S. government agencies that has been actively involved in implementing and reporting on food security activities.

Video: Peace Corps Volunteers support food security.

The four pillars of food security

Food security is defined as all people, at all times, having physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences to support an active and healthy life.

There are four pillars to food security: availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability. Below are a few examples of how Peace Corps Volunteers work across sectors to strengthen each of these pillars.

Availability

In Senegal, Volunteers are working to increase the availability of food by conducting trainings on drought-resistant millet and sorghum, fruit tree production, and biointensive gardening.

Accessibility

In Uganda, Volunteers work with female farmers to generate additional income from their agricultural activities. Volunteers support the women to market their products, keep records, reinvest profits into their business, and plan for the future, which results in greater access to nutritious food for their families and the community.

Utilization

In Guinea, Volunteers and their counterparts are addressing malnutrition in their communities, one household at a time, by conducting home-based visits with caregivers to discuss the importance of a well-balanced, diversified diet, especially for newborns, children under 5, and pregnant and nursing women.

Stability

Volunteers in Nepal conduct trainings for smallholder farmers on production of fruit and nut trees and high value crops such as turmeric and mushrooms. These are crops that can be harvested during different seasons to provide steady income and ensure food security for families throughout the year.